Walking-ditcher.



C. VAN ANTWERP.

WALKING DITCHER.

APPLICATION FILED Nov.21. i911. RENEWED MAR. 8.1915.

?5, Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

4 SHEETSS H EU I 4/ 6 8 6/8 3nncntor attorneys COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH co..WASHINGTON, n. c.

c. VAN ANTWERP. WALKING DITCHER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27, 19H. RENEWED MAR. B, 1915.

Patented Oct. 5, 1915 4 SHEETSSHEET 2 COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH(IO-,WASHXNGTON, D, C.

C. VAN ANTWERP.

. WALKING DITCHER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.27, 1911. RENEWED MAR. s, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

I witnesses COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0.. WW. h. c.

c. VAN AN'TWERP.

WALKING DITCHER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 27.1911- RENEWED MAR-B, 1915.

1,155,975. Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

\ I gnnentor Mam i I i COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH 60., WASHINGTON. D. c.

PATENT OFFIG CHARLES .YAN .QNTWERP, OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, ASSIGNOR 'IOIIIJI L'LIE VAN ANTWELEP,

OF MIAMI, FLORIDA. f j

WALKINGV-DITCI-IER.

Application filediqovember 27,1911,s'ria1 iwo. stasis. Renewed March a,1915. seriaim. 12,912.

To-aZZ whomitmay concern;

Be it known that 'L'CHARLES VAN ANT- was, a citizen'of the UnitedStates, residing at Miami, in the county of Dade and State of Florida,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Walking- Ditchers;"and I do hereby declare the following "to be a full, clear, andexact-description of the invention, such as will enable A fir-aha eb -atr remnanton .1 is to provide anv improved roan-bf heater for reprovidedepraved means ,r r spewing the cutterfand tlie-shoes. V c

With these and other objects in view the invention comprises certainnovel Tconstructions, combinations and arrangements of parts as will behereinafter more "fully describda-ndclaimed; v

In the drawingsi+1 igure 1 is'a view in front end elevation of theimproved ditc'h'er. Fig. 2 isa view "of the improfved vdit'eher inside'e'levation. Fig. 3is atop gplan view'o'f the imerova'aaeher; Fig.4;is;a'ifront perspectiveof the hood and "cutter. :Fig. atransverse,seCtiofi through the cutter. Fig. 6 is "a perspectivev'i'ewbftwo of the shoes which wilfin opposition. i'g. is a perspectiveview of orient the traction '7 wheels. Fig. 8 is a transverse sectionalview through one of the shoes and track "sections. Fig. 9-is afraginentaryview i'nr'ear elevation showing the means (if-suspending thefloating frame. c j like "characters of reference indicate-corre'sponding parts throughout the several views. H

The improved ditche'r which forms the subj ect' mafitertfithisapplication omprises a frame coifipdsedof the base strips 10 anduprights 11 with top side strips 12, a rear cross strip 13 with frontcross strips 14 extending from the side strips 12 inwardly towardthe'center and with short cross strips 15 for-Hungjsupports for bearings16 which Journal a shaft 17.

On the base are provided two longitudi n'ally extending beams 18 uponwhich is mounted a prime mover,shown' by the conventional internalcombustion engine I9,

having a shaft 2O operating through-a clutch derstood that. the termwheel, as employed,

iscomprehensive of the-form as shown.

As the ditcher is :ordinarily employed upon very soft ground, it hasbeen; found that wheels of any ordinary construction,

even of exceedingly widetread, will not be,

supported and that it'becomes necessary to -Patented0ct.5, 1915..

provide some 'means for supporting the wheels. F or this purpose aplurality of shoes are employed, shownin the drawings as four in number,operating in two pairs, the membersof'each pair being located upon theopposite sides of the framework; At Fig. "6 one member ofeach. oftwopairs of shoes is shown for 'the purpose. of illu'stratingftheoperation. The shoes 28 and 28' are practically free of the frame andare constructedsubstantially as long planks having, for theiconvenienceo'f moving such shoes, upturned ends as shown. The upturnedends'are matters of convenience and are not essential 'to the operationof the machine. The plank or sheet iron bottoms of the" shoes areprovided with upstanding spaced frames 29 "and 2.9 between which" onsteel channel The position and proportion of wheels-27 is such that thewheels 27 are free to move along the track between the members of theframe and some lateral looseness is provided between the wheels and thesides of the channel track.

At the top of the frame four longitudinal screws 30 are mounted,operated manually by cranks 31 and carrying frames 32 which are movablelongitudinally of the main framework by the manipulation of such screws30. The movable frames 32 carry each two pulleys 33 over which extendcables 34 and 34 connected respectively with weights 35 and 354 andpassing about pulleys 36 and 36 on the frames 29 and 29 respectively. Itwill be noted especially from Fig. 2 that when one of the shoes, as 28,is at the rear of the machine the cable 34 is disposed at a considerableangle to a vertical and that the weight 35 is raised. When therevolution of the wheels 27 and 27 releases the shoes from pressure ofsuch wheels by moving the segmental portion upwardly, the weight 35 hasa pull upon the shoe to the front of the machine and tends to move suchshoe upwardly and forwardly to theposition shown as 28 where it is inposition to be forced downwardly by the continued rotation of thesegmental wheels 27 and 27. In the drawings the primed numerals indicatethe shoes and their con- J nected parts which are upwardly and eithermoved forwardly or in position to be moved forwardly under the action ofthe weights 35 and in position to be forced downwardly upon the rotationof the wheel 27 to form a bearing surface for the continued advance ofthe framework along such shoe.

To operate the wheels 27 power is applied to the shafts 26 by mountingworm gears 37 upon such shafts and intergearing with worms 38 carriedupon shafts 39 which receive motion from the shaft 17 through the mediumof sprocket chains 40 which pass over sprockets upon both such shafts 17and 39. It will be apparent therefore that as the prime mover 19operates, power is transmitted through the sprocket 23 to the shaft 17from which shaft it is transmitted by the sprocket chain 40 to theshafts 39 and through the medium of the worm 38 and gears 37 to theshafts 26 to operate the wheels 27 and 27 It will also be apparent thatas the shafts 26 and their wheels 27 rotate, the shoes 28 and 28 will bealternately drawn forward and depressed to form bearing surfaces for theadvance of thewheels 27 and 27'.

To accomplish its function of ditching, a hood 41 is rigidly securedupon and extends below the frame pieces 410, being substantiallycircular in general outline with the exception that at one side anoutlet is provided, as indicated at v42, in Figs. 1 and 4. The hood issecured to the frame by means of brackets 43 formed upon the side andthe frame suspended by chains 430 and the hood is provided with a back44 imperforate except for a central opening to permit a shaft 45 to passtherethrough. The shaft 45 carries the cutter which is composed ofspaced blades 46 connected by an I-beam 47 which forms a back for thespace between such cutter blades and the cutter is rigidly secured tothe shaft 45. At the extremities of the blades 46 auxiliary cutters 48are provided which serve to cut a circle in advance of the cutting ofthe blades 46 and to permit a smooth surface to be cut thereby. A guardfor such auxiliary cutters, shown at 49, is also provided on the hood47. Centrally an angle iron 50 is mounted which serves to out out thecenter of the working and prevents the formation of an uncut core whichwould be formed by the simple use of the blades 46.

To drive the cutter the shaft 45 is connected to the drive shaft 22 bymeans of the gear 51 so that such cutter receives power directly fromthe prime mover, irrespective of the operation of the remainder of themachine.

It will be noted that the prime mover 19 is mounted upon a floatingframe comprising the side pieces 410 and cross pieces 52, which saidfloating frame is suspended from the main frame by means of the chains430 so that the floating frame with the prime mover and the cutter maybe raised and low ered relative to the main frame. Such raising andlowering is accomplished by means of a shaft 54 journaled in the mainframe and with cables 55 wound about such shaft and connected with thefloating frame. To rotate the shaft said shaft is provided with a wormgear 56, with a worm 57 engaging therewith operated by a crank 58. Itwill be apparent therefore that as the crank 58 is rotated the shaft 54is likewise rotated to wind or unwind the cable 55 and therefore raiseor lower the floating frame.

It will be apparent that as the main frame moves forward in the mannerhereinbefore described and with the cutter rotating in the directionindicated by the arrow, the blades 46 will cut out slices of the earthand, owing to the rapid rotation of the cutter, the cut-out portionswill, by centrifugal force, be hurled through the opening 42 andlaterally beyond the path of movement of the machine.

At times it is desirable to reverse the movement of the machine. Forthis purpose the screws 30 are manipulated to move the frames 32 to therear of the machine so that the pull of the cables 34 and 34, instead ofmoving the shoes forwardly, as incated, will move them rearwardly whenlifted. The reversal of the prime mover or of vthe gearing interveningbetween the prime mover and the shafts 26 will serve to move the framein the opposite direction or reverse.

I claim 1. In a ditcher, a frame, means to propel the frame, a hoodcarried at the front end of the frame comprising a substantiallyimperforate back and a circumferential forwardly extending cutter band,said band coinciding with a circle throughout the greater portion of itsextent and having a tangential extension limiting an opening at theupper side, a cutter rotating within said hood comprising cutter bladesspaced apart and having a web intermediate such cutter blades coincidingsubstantially with a radius of the circle of the hood, and means torotate the cutter.

2. In a ditcher, a frame, means to propel the frame, a hood located uponthe forward end of the frame and adapted to extend below the frame, saidhood comprising a substantially imperforateback, and a cutting bandextending forwardly from said back F coinciding with a circle throughoutthe greater portion of its extent and having a tangential dischargeopening, a shaft journaled to rotate centrally of the hood, a cuttermounted rigidly upon the shaft, said cut- Gopies of this patent may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

ter comprising blades spaced apart longitudinally of the shaft, theouter blade coinciding approximately with the forward edge of thecutting band and the rearward blade adjacent the back of the hood, and afiller web disposed between the blades, said filler Web coincidingsubstantially with a radius of the circle of the cutter band.

3. In a ditcher, a frame, a floating frame suspended beneath a portionof the first mentioned frame and adapted to be raised and loweredrelative thereto, a cutter mounted upon the forward end of the floatingframe, and a motor mounted upon the floating frame adapted to drive thecutter and propel the first mentioned frame.

4'. In a ditcher, a vehicle, a frame mounted to float beneath thevehicle and suspended v Washington, D. O.

